Predicting the future with stem cells.

The efficacy of bypass surgery in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy remains impossible to forecast accurately. In particular, individual variability in factors such as disease comorbidities, genetic background, aging, disease progression, lifestyle, and medications makes the prediction of the outcome of bypass surgery a herculean task. Identifying readily available patient-specific information to prognosticate the likelihood of benefit with highly invasive procedures such as bypass surgery not only could minimize patient suffering but also could significantly reduce the cost and resource burdens on a healthcare system that is already stretched to the limit.